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Santa Fe’s Mellow Velo on the move

SANTA FE, NM (BRAIN)—After six years in its current space, Santa Fe retailer Mellow Velo is headed downtown next month to a larger location just 100 yards off the city’s historic plaza.

Mellow Velo upgrades from 1,700 square feet of retail and storage space to 2,000 square feet of sales floor and 2,400 square feet of basement storage. Owner David Bell also gains street-facing floor-to-ceiling display windows for the first time.

“The front of my store is going to present so much more beautifully,” he said.

Bell sees the added space as something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he’ll no longer have to wheel 40 to 80 rental and for-sale bikes out in front of the store each day. But on the other, “with that much space you lose all your excuses to do a category like gloves or lights poorly,” he said.

For example, growth in bike sales and service had pretty much “choked out” apparel in the current shop, but now Bell is dedicating 1,000 square feet of space to clothing in the new location, continuing with product from Endura and Troy Lee Designs and bringing in unusual brands like Road Holland out of Florida and Austin, Texas-based, eco-conscious DannyShane, whose jerseys are made from 50 percent bamboo white ash.

“Rather than trying to represent one line, I’m really trying to buy just from people whose products I enjoy and not get wrapped into bad buying programs,” Bell said.

Bike brands remain the same, with rigs from Santa Cruz, Volagi, Haro, Masi, Breezer, Public and Brooklyn cruisers and Italian eye candy from the likes of Tomassini, Ciocc and Cinelli.